City leaders have worked for years on a number of water projects including groundwater recharge and system upgrades, the city said in a news release Thursday afternoon. A meeting last year with federal EDA officials helped speed up the water tank project.

“This funding will provide sustainable and reliable water supply necessary for the economic growth of our community for the foreseeable future,” said Raul Cantu, mayor pro tem.

This funding will provide sustainable and reliable water supply necessary for the economic growth of our community for the foreseeable future.

Raul Cantu, mayor pro tem

The new tank, which will hold about 750,000 gallons of water, will reduce stress on two 100-year-old tanks, which hold up to 70,000 gallons of water, and increase water service throughout the city. It is expected to serve Sanger for at least a decade, said John Mulligan, public works director.

The tank “has booster pumps on it,” Mulligan said. “Those pumps are controlled by pressure valves and will allow us to maintain pressure through the system at peak times.”

The increase in capacity will also allow local businesses to expand, the city said, creating around 125 industrial jobs.

The EDA, which is part of the Department of Commerce, awarded a total of $3.9 million to help build the framework for businesses to operate more efficiently, to capitalize on economic opportunity and to create jobs. The other recipient was the city of Hayward, which got $2.7 million to install a fiber-optic network.

Construction on Sanger’s new tank, located in the northeast portion of the city, is expected to be finished by November 2017.